Blue Trust Inc. Raises Stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 83.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,332 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 604 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $58,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Inspire Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 1st quarter valued at $237,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in Valvoline by 23.7% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 554,416 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $24,710,000 after purchasing an additional 106,151 shares during the period. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valvoline in the first quarter valued at $1,846,000. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in Valvoline by 97.6% in the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 29,843 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,330,000 after purchasing an additional 14,739 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 28.8% during the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 126,232 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,453,000 after purchasing an additional 28,254 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on VVV shares. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Valvoline from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Valvoline from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Stephens began coverage on Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price target for the company. Baird R W raised Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $48.00 target price for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $47.75.

Valvoline Price Performance

NYSE:VVV opened at $40.28 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $5.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.97 and a beta of 1.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $41.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.01. Valvoline Inc. has a 12 month low of $29.15 and a 12 month high of $48.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.57.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.03). Valvoline had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 182.88%. The firm had revenue of $421.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $425.17 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.43 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valvoline declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, July 30th that allows the company to repurchase $400.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the basic materials company to repurchase up to 7.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Valvoline Company Profile

Valvoline Inc engages in the operation and franchising of vehicle service centers and retail stores in the United States and Canada. The company, through its service centers, provides fluid exchange for motor oil, transmission and differential fluid, and coolant; parts replacement for batteries, filters, wiper blades, and belts; and safety services, such as tire inflation and rotation, bulbs, and safety checks.